Political intellect, efficiency, and pure luck brought Josef Stalin to power
Political intellect, efficiency, and pure luck brought Josef Stalin to power; the merciless Georgian took every opportunity that came along and advanced with it to the top. The leader of the Communist party and Premier of the Soviet Union was not an easy achievement for any man, let alone for a man who was brought up in a family of a shoemaker, who was expelled of seminary school for crimes, who had many run-ins with the police and who spent many years in prison and Siberia. Yet Stalin was the man who was to become one of the most powerful men in all of history. They say it was much propaganda and much luck that combined to make Stalin the leader of the entire Communist world. Russia's peasant population was radically tired with the absolute deficit of leadership. The peasants revolted in 1905 and created a system of Soviets. However, with the regime of the czar, there was still great agitation within the lower and middle classes of Russian society. World War I and disapointing battles with Germans were the final point for the people, who revolted in 1917 and deposed the Czar. It took a few days of riots to bring down a few hundred-year-old dynasty. In 1917 Stalin who had been exiled to Siberia was granted amnesty and was free again to pursue his carreer to the top. Stalin, already a devoted member of the central committee, entered the soviet cabinet and began to
Comparison of Two Pictures by Josef Koudelka
Comparison of Two Pictures by Josef Koudelka Both of the pictures that I have chosen for my compare and contrast are by Josef Koudelka. The first picture is called Czechoslovakia and was taken in 1968. It seems to be a modern social image. When you look at the man's watch you can see that the picture was taken in the middle of the day, yet there is no one around. This makes the viewer wonder why such and obviously urban landscape is barren. It is a static, horizontal, monochromatic, fine image that is taken from both bird's eye as well as eye level. The watch in this image is at eye level but the rest of the image is taken from bird's eye, which helps to give the image a sense of distance. Since there is a watch in the picture telling a specific time at which there is none around it is highly unlikely that this image could ever be reproduced and it is therefore a moment in time. The photographer uses the lines of the street to give the street an added sense of distance. His arm provides a sharp contrast from the otherwise urban scene and sets the image of balance. I feel that it gives the viewer a sense of melancholy due to the desolation as well as a feeling of loneliness. Since the image is in unlimited focus the arm which is so close to the lens it helps to highlight the desolation in the picture as the photographer appears to be the only one around. The other
Das Falsche Gewicht, Josef Roth
Das Falsche Gewicht, Josef Roth - Referat Joseph Roth 1894 in Galizien - Westen der Ukraine - geboren, studierte Literaturwissenschaften in Wien und Lemberg (Ukraine). Teilnahme am 1. Weltkrieg. 1933 Emigration nach Frankreich, starb 1939 in Paris. Das falsche Gewicht entstand 1937 im Pariser Exil. Inhalt Seiner Frau Regina zuliebe verlässt Anselm Eibenschütz nach 12 Jahren den Militärdienst, und nimmt an der österreichisch-russischen Grenze der habsburgischen Monarchie den Posten eines Eichmeisters an. (Ein Eichmeister war in der damaligen Zeit, ein Beamter der die Gewichte und Maße der Kaufleute auf ihre Korrektheit überprüfte.) Eibeschütz findet sich in dem von ihm zu verwaltenden Bezirk namens Zlotogrod, in einem Gebiet wieder, in welchem dem Gesetz weniger Bedeutung zugetragen wird. Betrug und Korruption gehören hier zur Lebensweise. Eibenschütz allerdings, hält er es für seine Pflicht das Gesetz zu vertreten und zu verteidigen. Innerlich verflucht er seine Frau jedoch, ihn aus dem von ihm geliebten Militärdienst weg, zu diesem trostlosen Ort, geholt zu haben. Die Grenzschenke von Leibusch Jadlowker ist ein Symbol für die Gesetzlosigkeit in diesem Gebiet. In jener Grenzschenke, lernt Eibenschütz die Freundin von Jadlowker kennen, die schöne Zigeunerin Euphemia. Nach einigen Monaten erkennt Eibenschütz, dass seine Frau ihn betrügt, und als
Did Stalin betray the Russian Revolution?
Did Stalin betray the Russian Revolution? By the time of Josef Stalin's death in 1953, the face and structure of Russia had changed forever. Two leaders had interpreted Marxism in different and apparently opposite ways and the country still bore the scars. There is an almost romantic stereotype which dominates traditional history of the Soviet Union, which is perhaps best exemplified in George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'; that the revolution was wholly good-natured, led by the disciple of Marx, Lenin. Stalin is seen as the egotistical tyrant who betrayed his father figures. Trotsky is Orwell's 'Snowball', a blameless defender of the revolution who would have been far more preferable as a leader to the man who sent him into exile. These are merely ideals, and fall apart under scrutiny. Vladimir Lenin was responsible for establishing and legitimating almost every facet of Stalin's dictatorship. This is a viable defence for Stalin; that he was only following in his predecessor's footsteps. Indeed, the implications of this are so massive that the historian Volkogonov - albeit a known anti-Leninist - wrote that "all of the evil in the soviet system in its 74-year existence stemmed from Lenin". As just one example, the 'lubyanka' in Moscow, which was taken over by Lenin's Bolsheviks in 1918 and is still the home of Russian intelligence in the present day, became a symbol of oppression
Role of Women Under Stalin
What was the role and status of women in Russia from 1924-1941 under Josef Stalin? Internal Assessment Coral Millican Standard Level History Candidate # Word Count: Table of Contents Plan of Investigation 3 Summary of Evidence 3 Evaluation of Sources 6 Analysis 8 Conclusion 10 Notes 11 List of Sources 13 Plan of Investigation What was the role and status of women in Russia from 1924-1941 under Josef Stalin? This topic is going to be investigated because over the course of Russian history, each leader, from Lenin to Stalin to Khrushchev, had a different position regarding the role and status of women, as Stalin was Russia's leader during World War II, this investigation will focus on the role and status of women under Stalin. This investigation will consider women's influence in politics under Stalin's rule. The rights of women concerning their own bodies will be investigated. The source that will give the best insight into how women were treated by Stalin is the book Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar. One of the sources, Women Under Stalin, discusses how the Five Year Plans affected women, this is going to be an important document for the investigation because the Five Year Plans were Stalin's creations and directly express how he influenced the role of women. Women in different positions, such as workers in industry and as mothers will also be
Stalin and his effect on the economy of Russia.
Russia in the 1920's and 1930's faced enormous economic problems. The world wide depression had a great impact on all great industrialized nations. However, Russia's problems were somewhat different regarding their lack of industrial growth as much of the rest of Europe had undergone. The 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and the destruction of traditional monarchy coupled with the new experiment of communism made Russia unstable at best. Following Lenin's death in 1924, there seemed to be no clear leader for Russia and their new government. Beginning here, Josef Stalin showed his great organizational skill and manipulative powers. Stalin, as General Secretary of the Communist Party, had already placed his loyalists in positions of great power in strategic areas of the government. This guaranteed him majority support in issues of controversy even during Lenin's illness before his death. One great example of manipulation occured immediately following Lenin's death. Leon Trotsky, one of Stalin's greatest rivals, had left for Sukhum to be treated for a lingering infection. Trotsky learned of Lenin's death on his journey and sent a telegram to the Kremlin in Moscow. He stated he was making arrangements to return to Moscow. The reply came from Moscow indicating Trotsky would not be able to arrive before the funeral and he should proceed as his health was most important. The reply was
Stalin Question 3
The following are equally important reasons why Stalin was able to hold onto power in the Soviet Union: The purges and show trials The secret police Propaganda and the cult of personality Stalin's economic policies. To what extent do you agree with this statement? By 1928 Josef Stalin had emerged from a vicious power struggle as leader of the Soviet Union. Despite his victory he still had many enemies, from both without and within Russia. He feared the rich, capitalist nations of the west, who hated communism, might intervene. He also feared members of his own party, such as Kamanev and Zinoviev, who had been powerful when Lenin was alive. During his time as leader, Stalin took many steps to hold onto his power. To combat the external threats (rich, powerful capitalist nations opposed to communism, such as the USA) he wanted to modernise Russia and make it one of the great industrial nations. He felt that this was the only way to stop communism in Russia being wiped out by capitalist nations. A famous quote of Stalin's is "We are 50 or 100 years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this lag in 10 years. Either we do it, or they crush us." He also wanted to rid the party of his enemies (for example supporters of Trotsky) and dissenters. Many of Stalin's enemies in Russia were eliminated by the purges. During the civil war this was known as the 'Red
Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky were both very powerful members of the Soviet Republic after the death of Lenin, but despite being members of the same party, they both had very different characteristics and beliefs.
History GCSE Coursework Coursework Assignment Objectives 2 and 3 Question 1 Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky were both very powerful members of the Soviet Republic after the death of Lenin, but despite being members of the same party, they both had very different characteristics and beliefs. Trotsky was an intellectual, which meant that he could take an idea and make it original. The way Trotsky did this was by voicing his ideas logically and with reasonable arguments across to the people, despite the audience that he was speaking to; hence he was famously known as a great orator. His great speaking skills could be directly linked to his intellect, as all his speeches were well planned and considered thoughtfully. With this intellect though came great vanity and ignorance, which was noticed by Lenin in his last testament when he wrote, "...he has displayed excessive self assurance..." Trotsky was an organiser in every sense of the word, which can be seen by the fact that he was the main person responsible for planning the Bolshevik revolution. The revolution was over in 24 hours and no one was killed which was as successful as any revolution could be. His intellect can again be seen here by the method to which he carried out the revolution. He did not go storming anywhere, he systematically took control of all lines of communications so no backup or reinforcements
Stalin : Man Or Monster?
Dan Vernon History Coursework Stalin : Man Or Monster? . These sources give different impressions of Stalin, however there are some similarities. Source A is a cartoon published in Paris in the 1930's. It shows Stalin and the results of his policies according to the artist. The cartoon features Stalin showing three pyramids of skulls as if he was a tour guide. The caption under reads, "Visitez L'URSS ses pyramides!" This translates to, "Visit the pyramids of the USSR!" This source is very famous and was drawn by an exiled Russian, therefore the artist could be bitter and biased against Stalin and his policies. Source B is an official Soviet painting of Stalin with workers at a hydroelectric power station in the 1930's. It is trying to show the results of industrialization. It shows Stalin talking to the workers, they seem very proud to be meeting Stalin. Because it is an official Soviet painting it is very likely to be biased and a source of propaganda as it would be Stalin or the government who commissioned it. Source A shows Stalin to be a monster responsible for the death of millions of people. Stalin's policies were responsible for the death of millions of people. Collectivization caused the death of thousands of Kulaks and left many homeless and starving. One million people were executed during the purges, two million people died in camps, one million
A report to Stalin on the ruinous effects of the Purges.
A report to Stalin on the ruinous effects of the Purges Report Plan - effects on... P.1 Introduction P.2 Army P.3 Scientists P.4 Managers of factories and farms P.5 Poets, Writers, artists P.6 Ordinary life To. Comrade Josef Stalin From. Askit Voldof, Russian Intelligence Agency Date. 18/06/1938 Dear Comrade Josef Stalin, First of all, I would like to applaud you, excellent Comrade Stalin, for following the great Lenin, in becoming his successor, and indeed in every meaning of the word, succeeding. I also applaud you in reforming this country, with the ideas only a great Communist such as yourself could have thought of, in making this country a safer place for Russia in the future. The whole of my organisation myself and are at your feet, whatever your request maybe. Although we fully believe and don not blame Comrade Stalin in any way possible, there are many aspects of the purges that have affected Russia in negative ways that must be taken note of by the great man himself. I shall go into detail of these negative effects of the purges over the course of the next few paragraphs of this report. A large section of the Army has been executed by the NKVD, including most of its highest officials, and due to this execution, new inexperienced young officers have taken their place, and as a result the Russian army are suffering, and now have less chance of winning
